Every week during the NFL season brings a lot of new questions … and answers some old ones, too. Let’s find out what we learned in week 14 … and what we’re thinking about in week 15 and beyond.
Asked: Who is more hopeless, Jett or Bear?
This weekend saw a couple ignominious milestones in the NFL. First, the Jets lost (hitting) and , the longest streak of any major professional sport in America. Meanwhile, the Bears, in their first game of the post-Eberfluss era, blew their doors off San Francisco 38-13 in a game that didn’t even seem that competitive. Collectively, they are 7-19, and the hopes that flickered when Aaron Rodgers was signed and the Bears won a few games earlier this season have now faded.
So this brings up an important question. Assuming you’re not a fan of either team — if you are, compassion — which would you rather root for? I know, it’s like choosing whether to eat live, shriveled worms or three-month-old leftovers. But which party is more likely among these parties? If you say “Bears,” that makes sense — Chicago has Caleb Williams, after all — but the Bears front office has an uncanny ability to hire the worst possible personnel to maximize the potential of their stars. If you say “Jets,” it doesn’t account for the mysterious aura of suction that leeches the talent of every single player who’s green, even the four-time MVP. Chicago probably has a bright immediate future, but “bright” in the sense that a 40-watt bulb is brighter than candlelight.
Either way, it’s a scary, bleak future for this team and their fans. As Bono sings in the holiday classic “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”: “Thank God it’s them instead of you.”
Answer: Chiefs are beyond pissed
Some teams are better across the board. Some teams are ridiculously lucky. Only one team in the NFL — indeed, perhaps in all of professional sports — is better at both And A championship winner is lucky to the degree. The Kansas City Chiefs are the most frenzied team in sports, not because they win, but because of how they win — with luck built on talent, with skill that always seems to benefit from a healthy dose of luck.
Once again, an AFC West team roped Kansas City in the final seconds of the game, and once again, the Chiefs were free. This time, the opponent was the Los Angeles Chargers, and this time, luck came with no time on the clock Sunday night:
The Chiefs are headed to the playoffs, obviously. And probably the AFC Championship, obviously. And if they’re down by 14 in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, someone somewhere will think, “Now we’ve got them.” And they would be so, so wrong.
Q: Is there hope in Carolina?
Watching a losing team find itself is like watching a baby take its first steps. You don’t want to invest too much hope in the enterprise, as it will likely end in disaster. And you definitely don’t want them to catch you staring, because that would ruin the whole effort. But slow, steady progress is the same.
Yes, the Panthers have just three wins on the season. But their last three losses are by one possession, all to playoff contenders: Kansas City, Tampa Bay (in OT) and Philadelphia on Sunday. One key reason: the rise of Bryce Young. (You can’t really call it a resurgence if there’s no emergence in the first place.) Hell, the Panthers nearly upset the Eagles, only for Xavier Leggett to drop a potential go-ahead touchdown pass in the game’s final minutes and cap off a 97-yard drive on the road. At the end came the kind of testing that would have ruined many more experienced quarterbacks.
Even reaching the surface is a long way for Young and the Panthers. But at least now they are swimming in the right direction.
Answer: Russell Wilson is a magician
In a league where most careers grind excruciatingly downward, it’s good to reverse that trend and stay up and to the right. Russell Wilson revived a career that most thought was dead, and he would have been Comeback Player of the Year if not for Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. He’s not lighting up fantasy stats — he only threw for 158 yards in Sunday’s win over Cleveland — but he’s doing exactly what he needs to do to lead Pittsburgh to victory after victory. He threw for two touchdowns on Sunday and released his latest hype video soon after:
The Steelers got Wilson for $1.2 million this season (“excess” is a very relative term), but it will cost much more to bring him back next year. In late October, it seemed unlikely, but Wilson magically turned himself into a hell of a second act.
Ask: How far can Ram go?
Trying to pick a winner in the NFC West right now is like trying to find true love at a holiday party. Maybe you’ll get it right and sail into New Year’s Day happily, maybe you’ll get it wrong and have a messy breakup right before the holidays.
The current hot commodity is the Rams, who punched mighty Buffalo right in the face on national television. Matthew Stafford threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns, Puka Nacua had 162 of those yards and one of the touchdowns. Sean McVay showed why he’s still one of the sharpest, most innovative sideline minds in the game … and Sean McDermott showed why the Bills will always be a concern until they lift the Lombardi Trophy.
Los Angeles is currently one game out of first in the NFC West, but is in a good position to make the playoffs. Do you want to face this team in January?
Answer: AFC South must be relegated
At some point on Sunday, every opening game went to halftime except Jaguars-Titans. It was a strange form of torture for NFL fans, forced to watch AFC South football, and it brought back memories of pre-prime video Thursday night games. (Amazing that a billion dollars a year can buy you Lions-Packers and Rams-49ers games, right?) The Jaguars won 10-6, an ugly game whose first (and only) touchdown wasn’t scored until late in the fourth quarter.
At this point, just fold the division and send these two teams to the SEC. On the plus side, both the Titans and Jaguars will have a good shot at making the College Football Playoff. Their strength of schedule, at least, will be unmatched.
